


Impromptu

by IttyBittyTeapot (LittleSeedofDarkness)



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Ereri Spring Weekend 2017, Fluff, Frottage, Kissing, M/M, Making Out, Mutual Pining, Romance, Tea, canon age gap
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-27
Updated: 2017-06-02
Packaged: 2018-11-05 14:11:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11015013
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleSeedofDarkness/pseuds/IttyBittyTeapot
Summary: Levi’s never been the type to talk to strangers, but he’s been watching that kid almost every day for months in the park at lunch. Noticing the kid watching him too, stupid little glances catching between them and quirks of lips, eyes slowly blinking before faces get hidden behind hands.This firmly kicks the kid from the stranger category into another place, only Levi’s not certain where that place is.Written for Ereri Spring Weekend 2017Day one: PicnicDay two: OvercastDay three: Warmth





	1. High Tea

**Author's Note:**

> It's a day late, but I've been sick. I still have to edit the other two chapters, but the next chapter will hopefully be going up later today, and the third one tomorrow. I still might add more smut into chapter three than I currently have. If I do, I'll add tags for it when I post it and change the rating to 'E,' if need be.
> 
> Hope you enjoy, and thanks for reading. <3 <3 <3

  Levi’s never been the type to talk to strangers, but he’s been watching that kid almost every day for months in the park at lunch. Noticing the kid watching him too, stupid little glances catching between them and quirks of lips, eyes slowly blinking before faces get hidden behind hands.

  This firmly kicks the kid from the stranger category into another place, only Levi’s not certain where that place is.

  He knows his routine, and Levi’s almost positive he’s sure what building he comes from each day. Knows he likes to balance his bowl of salad haphazardly on his thigh while he watches birds between bites. The kid doesn't even look at his phone like the rest of the pricks in the park. He watches critters and beams at trees, closes his eyes and smiles at the sun on his face like it’s the first time he’s ever felt the thing.

  That’s all endearing, weird and fascinating to Levi, but the shitty brat also goes up to the cart every day, buys a tea then utterly destroys it. Levi knows he ruins it not only because he sees him steep it way too long and watches him juggling those little creamers and packets of sugar, but because of the face the kid makes when he drinks it. All encouraged at first like he expects it to be good, _wants_ it to be, but then he takes that first sip, grimaces, looks disappointed and then so hopeful before he tastes it again.

  His expression shouldn't be cute, but it’s more than cute, it’s fucking adorable, and Levi can never look away. The kid’s too darling for Levi to allow the god damn travesty to continue, let this lovely guy with his messy hair and his big green eyes drink a half-assed cup of tea every day.

  He can’t endure it anymore when he sees that look again. The way the kid gulps it down like he’s trying to swallow concrete, how his brows knit together in disappointment. It’s precious, and the expression makes Levi melt a bit inside. Even so, he can’t stand the injustice of it all.

  Levi doesn't really know what in the hell he’s thinking when he gathers up his lunch, walks to the cart, and buys a tea, but he knows what he’s _going_ to do, even has an inkling of _why_ he cares, what he doesn't understand is why _this_ kid. And, _‘kid’_ is definitely an apt description. He looks maybe seventeen or eighteen, half Levi’s age. Too young to be sneaking looks at Levi, and Levi’s too old to be sneaking them back.

  He shouldn't be doing this, shouldn’t be paying for a fresh tea, shouldn't be walking over to that bench the green-eyed kid lays claim to every weekday between 11:35 and 12:25. And he sure as fuck shouldn't be sitting down on it, taking the kid’s tea and setting it on the ground.

  “Oh, that’s mine,” the kid says with a smile. A beautiful smile like the sunset and the mountains and the full moon all mashed together in one. He doesn't even get mad, and Levi feels like he shouldn't be the least bit surprised.

  “I know it’s yours,” Levi says, sets the cup of fresh hot water down between them and starts opening a packet of tea. “I’ve been watching you make it wrong all spring long.”

  “I have?” The kid’s taken aback, maybe confused, and Levi expected him to possibly tell him to fuck off, but he doesn't. He only smiles at him through the quandary, smiles while this stranger twice his age schools him on making a cup of tea.

  “First, you leave the bag in too long. That makes it bitter, so you pour in cream and dump a heap of sugar into it in a fruitless attempt to make it better, but you only make it worse.” Levi drops the bag into the cup, re-attaches the lid, and notes the time on his watch.

  “But I like it sweet.” The kid looks deflated, and when Levi looks at his eyes, they’re all glistening and shiny and disappointed. They’re ridiculously inconceivably beautiful, like emeralds surrounded by flecks of gold and ringed with sapphire, they shouldn't be possible, but they pull Levi in, and he feels like he just told the kid his puppy died.

  Levi ignores his protestation, knows he doesn't really like it sweet because nobody who’s had a proper cup of tea wants to put sugar in it, and if the kid liked it sweet he wouldn't have looked like he was gulping down medicine every day for the past two months.

  “I assure you, you’ll like it.”

  “Okay,” the kid says and smiles wider, looks expectant and sweet. It makes Levi’s heart go up in his throat, and he takes a shaky sip of his own tea to swallow it back down.

  “Can I at least know your name since you bought me tea?”

  His voice is so soft and rich, and it thrums through Levi who begins to breathe just a little bit fast. This was a mistake. He feels like a damn teenager again, and his voice is gone, and his throat remains dry no matter how much his mouth is watering. It doesn't make any sense.

  The kid’s request is appropriate though, he deserves a response. Levi has taken away part of his meal and has basically told him his skills at preparing tea suck. The least he can do is answer him.

  “My name is Levi,” he says, thinks he sounds a like a frog croaking.

  “I’m Eren,” the kid says with a smile.

  Eren puts his hand out, and Levi looks down at it, just stares for a bit, feels like if he takes it, he might be crossing some sort of line because he already suspects he’s definitely going to like how it feels. It’s broad, and Eren has beautiful long slender fingers, and his skin looks so soft and inviting.

  Against his better judgment, Levi puts his hand in Eren’s, his smaller one enveloped firmly within its warmth and Eren just grins at him with his amazing glinting eyes. And Levi thinks maybe the kid has worked some kind of sorcery on him because his entire arm is getting warm and it feels like Eren’s stole the breath from his lungs.

  Letting go is what Levi should be doing, especially with the way this teenager is looking at him, grinning at him all sincere and thankful, as if showing him how to make a good cup of tea is the nicest thing that anyone has ever done for him, but he doesn't. Eren doesn't make any move to pull his hand away either, and Levi knows he better figure this out quick, or he’s going to spend the rest of his day glued to this adorable kid who makes terrible tea.

  He digs down deep, shifts his arm, looks at his watch, there’s more than a minute left and Eren still isn't giving back his hand.

  “I need to get a spoon,” Levi says quickly, voice cracking like a whip. He sounds like he’s going through puberty again, feels as exposed and awkward as he did at fourteen, but Eren lets his hand go, gives a small nervous laugh right afterward that might be more endearing than his ‘bad tea face.’

  It doesn't go unnoticed by Levi how Eren touches his palm right away with the tips of his fingers, looks down at it like he’s trying to see if it’s changed in some fashion or appears any different now. Levi hasn't thought it possible for Eren to get any cuter, yet somehow he has.

  And Levi really should kick himself because this most definitely was a mistake. 

  His hands are a little shaky when he pulls the spoon from his lunch bag. It’s a disposable one, wrapped in plastic, and Levi’s thankful he had a spare. It’s clean and unused, which is a blessing because Eren might be the type who would be disgusted if it wasn't brand new, just like Levi would be.

  Eren is watching every move Levi makes. Eyes stuck to him as he checks his watch, pulls off the top and begins to gently dunk the teabag. Levi knows Eren is looking at him, but he can't quite keep eye contact anymore because those bright green eyes are casting a fucking spell on him.

  He concentrates as best he can on the task in front of him instead, focuses on carefully dipping in the spoon and scooping up the infusion, notices his fingers holding the tag are trembling slightly, hopes Eren doesn’t see.

  “You don't want to squeeze it too much, barely at all because this is black tea.” Levi finds his voice again, wraps the string around the spoon and the bag, gingerly squeezes it and sets it down on a napkin. “This isn't high tea, but it can be acceptable if you do it right.”

  “Wow,” Eren says, sounds completely sincere. “I was squeezing out every last bit of water.”

  Levi glances up, makes eye contact again, and this kid is going to kill him with that saccharine smile and those impossible eyes. “That's why it was shitty.”

  He replaces the top, hands the cup to Eren, shivers when Eren’s fingers brush against his as he takes it.

  Levi is hopeful, so hopeful that Eren likes it, but he doesn't want it to be obvious, so he puts on his best blank expression as he watches Eren bring the cup to his lips, and Levi is focusing on them now too. There’s that same expectant look Levi sees every day on Eren’s face, but this time he’s staring right at Levi with those magic eyes.

  When Eren takes a sip Levi’s heart skips because Eren’s not swallowing concrete, he’s grinning madly, and Levi can see it even from behind the cup.

  “This is unbelievable!” Eren sounds amazed, takes another drink. “Thank you.”

  “It’s not like what you can buy at the tea shop. I would have made that for you if I had an extra.”

  “No, this is perfect,” Eren says.

  There’s one of those quiet, expectant moments people share when they aren’t quite sure what to do, and they're waiting to see what someone else does first. Levi could walk away now, he really should, but something keeps his ass planted on that bench. He glances at Eren, sees him glance right back like he felt Levi looking at him. Eren doesn't expect him to leave, that much is clear, but Levi’s confident he’s coming off like some kind of weirdo or creep, and Eren is probably one of those guys who's simply way too polite for his own good.

  Levi’s worked up some courage by the time Eren has settled back and is eating his salad again, eating while he watches Levi with that absurdly beautiful grin on his face. But when Levi gets up to leave, to go back to the table underneath that tree he likes, Eren’s hand is around his, and Levi looks back at Eren. He’s smiling at him again, looking absolutely comfortable and ridiculously happy, and he’s not letting go of Levi’s hand either.

  “You ruined my dreams of becoming a tea sommelier, the least you could do is keep me company during lunch,” Eren says, tugs gently.

  Typically Levi wouldn't welcome this kind of contact or this kind of expectation, but the annoyance doesn't come, only the feeling of wanting to sit back down and accept Eren’s invitation.

  His chest gets a funny little twinge that Levi really likes the feel of, and it’s been so long since it happened, probably was in the last millennium. He’s the slightest bit nervous now, but it’s not uncomfortable, doesn’t make him feel like he wants to go hide or count to ten, more like he’s flying, more like something exciting is about to happen.

  He’s probably been working too much, hasn’t had enough contact with friends or something else normal people do that he’s overlooked, but bringing Eren tea suddenly feels like it might be the best decision he’s made in a long time. Eren’s so relaxed too, and something about that keeps Levi from feeling like he needs to turn on the snark, and he takes out his lunch.

  Before he opens the container, he glances at exactly what Eren’s eating. The kid has a salad too, not with nearly enough vegetables, and that dressing looks like something that negates any of the benefits of the greens it’s slathered over.

  “You like a little salad with your toppings?” Levi asks. So maybe he’s left out a little bit of the snark. He’s never been particularly good at putting it all away.

  Eren is young, though he doesn’t need that many bacon bits, nor what looks like a quarter pound of cheddar cheese on top, and you can’t taste kale when it’s drenched in ranch, but perhaps he can explain to Eren how to make a proper salad too.

  Eren just laughs, smiles again. “I’ve been trying to eat healthier. _Trying._ ”

  “Might I suggest an excellent oil and red wine vinegar?”

  “I’ll try it,” Eren says. “I don’t think it would help today, it doesn’t sound like it would go that well with ranch.”

  “I doubt it.”

  Levi realizes as he opens his plastic container of salad, just how stupid this conversation is. They’re talking about salad dressing, one of the most boring subjects he could possibly conceive of, and yet it doesn't feel as if Eren thinks he’s totally lame, which is surprising to him because it’s really how he sees himself at this point in his life.

  “Is this a regular thing for you?” Eren asks, stabs more lettuce and bacon onto his fork before he continues, “giving instructions to random people on how to make tea, I mean?”

  Levi's never done this before. He’s showed interested friends how to do it right, but no, he’s never walked up a stranger in a park and practically forced them to take a lesson in tea preparation. This is all out-of-character for him. He has a group of friends, and he never goes out of his way to acquire more.

  But that’s not really why he engaged Eren in the first place. Levi’s not trying to make a friend. He doesn't actually know what he’s doing. He didn't buy Eren tea as a pretense to get him in bed either. All he knows is that Eren is gorgeous and sweet, and he’s spent two months looking at him, at least a month and a half being excited to watch him when lunchtime rolls around. He’s drawn to Eren, and he had to talk to him, had to make contact because those looks they were shooting at each other all spring have been slowly driving him to insanity.

  “This is the first time.” Levi isn't surprised he admits it, he’s not a liar, but he doesn't go into details about why he’s done it.

  “So what do you do, work in a tea factory?” Eren has a sense of humor, and Levi likes that, likes that he's just being a tiny bit of a brat because Levi probably deserves it for criticizing the kid’s entire lunch.

  “I’m in acquisitions, I’m an appraiser of sorts.” It's true, there’s a lot more back story to it, but Levi’s not going into that. He can't go from salad dressing to explaining his checkered past.

  “So what is that exactly?”

  Eren is still smiling, looking like he thinks Levi’s job is incredibly impressive regardless that he doesn't know exactly what Levi does. He sounds like he actually cares to know.

  “I look at artwork all day, assess its value for my friend’s auction house.” He sounds so terribly boring.

  “That sounds fascinating,” Eren says, and Levi knows he isn't bullshitting. He actually thinks it’s intriguing or cool.

  “I swear it isn’t.”

   “More interesting than what I do. I file things. It’s 2017, why are people still using enough paper for me to file?”

  This kid is too fucking cute and sweet, and it should be a crime to be so amazing and sincere and adorable. Levi should get up and leave now before he starts thinking too hard about how much he likes Eren already. Leave before he thinks too long about what he should do tomorrow, whether he should sit down and eat with him again, or how he’s going to stop himself from spending an hour staring at him every day in the park if he decides never to talk to him again.

  It would be easiest to do it now, but the way Eren is looking at him, how he doesn't seem to care that Levi is quiet and awkward as hell is making it real fucking hard.

  “I’m glad you showed me how to make tea the right way.” Levi hears Eren’s voice do something similar to what his has been doing and he doesn’t know if it’s a product of his age or because Eren feels as wonderfully anxious as he does. Doesn't know until Eren hedges, says something that makes the neck of Levi’s shirt feel way too small.

  “I’ve been trying to come up with an excuse to talk to you for over a month.”  That’s not even the half of it because Eren goes all in with a new smile that Levi hasn't seen yet. It’s shy and warm, and it has to be the most endearing thing Levi has ever seen in his life.

  Christ, this was a huge mistake. Levi doesn't know what to say, any snark he had died on the tip of his tongue, and he’s scrambling, hoping it will come back. He only smiles because he can't help it, stuffs a bite of salad in his mouth, and it’s so stupid because he knows Eren has been keeping an eye on him all this time, and he’s been doing the exact same thing.

  Why does he suddenly have no words?

  “Sorry, that probably sounded creepy.” Eren laughs, and looks uncomfortable.

  Now he’s gone and made the kid feel bad because he couldn't muster up a response. He has to say something back, something that doesn't make it clear how much this kid is destroying his composure.

  “No it didn't, but I would think I might seem creepy.” He’s given Eren an out, the kid can tell him to fuck off right now if he wants to without being rude or a dick. Levi thinks part of him would like that, but he knows himself well enough to be certain he’s not going to be happy with the rejection regardless that something is still screaming at him to pack up his lunch and run.

  “Nah, you’re not creepy at all.” Eren smirks, but it’s so genuine and warm, slides off his face before he eats another bite then continues, “creeps aren't into tea that much. Plus, you don't register on my creep-meter.”

  “And you’re an expert in creep identification?” The snark is back, but somehow Levi knows Eren isn’t going to care. It’s almost as if he likes it, and that suspicion is fueling Levi’s urge to let it loose again.

  “With eyes as pretty as mine, I run into creeps at least a few times a week,” Eren shrugs, hesitates, then leans toward Levi and nudges his leg. “You’re definitely not one.”

  The kid’s a fucking flirt, and Levi’s heart speeds up at Eren’s touch. There’s something about how he said it like he’s repeating things that others have said to him before but isn't quite sure if he believes them. He’s so awkwardly adorable, and Levi already knows under that flirtatious confident bravado there’s something sweet and soft and maybe a little bit breakable.

  He’s seen it in his eyes when Eren sits by himself at lunch, noticed how sometimes he’ll look at something, and the smile’s still there, but perhaps slightly sad, maybe bitter-sweet.

  Eren doesn't seem that way now though. Levi doesn't want to be too arrogant, but the kid is positively beaming, can't keep his eyes off Levi, and Levi can't stop the smile that keeps wrestling itself onto his face because he’s pretty damn sure he’s the reason for it, and it’s the best feeling he’s had in years.

  The rest of their limited time for lunch passes by too fast for Levi. By the time Eren’s packing his things up, Levi already knows he’s going to be late getting back to work, and he doesn't really care. Eren has spent the last twenty minutes telling Levi a lot about his life. He knows Eren has two best friends and likes video games. He knows he’s had a somewhat rough time regardless that he didn't go into details. Eren really likes animals a lot too. He’s told Levi about almost every bird species that visits the park, and Levi has found himself listening attentively to Eren rambling about subjects he’d generally give less than two fucks about.

  Eren likes to get really comfortable too, with the way he’s slowly shifted closer to Levi, his knees pointing slightly toward him, how his hand has inched over nearer to Levi's during the conversation. It’s so close now that Levi’s hand twitching would make them touch. Levi’s actually debating about it, which is the kind of thing he never does.

  Nothing about any of this is what Levi ever does. He doesn't talk to people he doesn't know, he doesn't buy them tea, and he doesn't pine after teenagers half his age. He sure as fuck doesn't feel like his chest is in a vice every time a guy smiles at him, and he doesn't look into painfully gorgeous eyes and make sure he burns them into his memory so he can keep them forever. He definitely doesn't look at the lips of a stranger in the park and think how soft and beautiful they look and how much he’d like to kiss them. Levi never does any of this.

    He wants to hold this kid’s hand and listen to him talk for hours, wants to look in his eyes, maybe slide his thumb across his lips and feel them, so he knows if they’re as velvety as they look.

  When he got up and bought the tea he didn't know what he was in for, Eren could’ve been a really cute jerk. He could have been completely uninterested, unreceptive, nothing like what Levi hoped he would be, but he isn't. He’s amazing and sweet and smart and funny. He’s all the things Levi could have hoped for and more.

  “So maybe we could have lunch together again sometime?” Eren asks, sounds so genuine and expectant as he stands to leave.

  Levi should politely say no, should ignore the natural high he’s flying on and find another place to eat from now on, but those words don't come. Instead, he’s smiling back harder at Eren, fumbling around in his head for something to say, and nods the affirmative with a whispered, “sure.” Eren smiles and laughs a little and Levi is pretty confident it’s because Eren’s seeing right through the façade, knows Levi is interested, practically smitten already.

  Levi is beyond the point of walking away, no matter how much he knows he’s going to spend the rest of his day trying to talk himself out of it. He’s going to seek Eren out again, and he definitely, most certainly can't back off now.


	2. I Googled Salad

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still running behind on editing these, but I'll try to get the last one up tomorrow. 
> 
> Thanks for reading. <3 <3 <3

  Levi’s not sure what he’s going to do for lunch. He’s spent the better part of the previous day convincing himself not to talk to Eren again for at least another week. He also spent a lot of his time just thinking _about_ him. Thought about him all the way home from work, through dinner, and fell asleep the night before with Eren on his mind. He was the first thing that appeared in his head when he woke up in the morning, and the thoughts haven't ceased through the first half of work.

  It’s already getting a little out-of-hand, so he isn't too disappointed that it looks like rain. He can go eat at the little café down the street, and it gives him an entirely good excuse not to be in the park.

  Although… life often has other plans.

  When Levi makes it down to the lobby of his building, he sees Eren, eyes lighting up as soon as Levi looks in his direction. Levi wonders why he’s there, stops, looks behind himself for someone Eren could be smiling at instead of him.

  He couldn't be there for him.

  How would he know where he works?

  There’s a part of Levi that wants to turn around and go back up to his office, but he sees Eren wave, grin real wide, keep on smiling and then start blushing as he approaches. Fucking hell, the guy is adorable, and that part of Levi that wants to run away gets pummeled by the part that doesn't.

  Then there’s that terribly comfortable flutter in his chest when Eren takes a few steps toward him.

  He’s definitely there for him.

  “It looks like it’s going to rain, I thought I’d take a chance and see if you wanted to have lunch with me?”

  The kid has big brass balls, but Levi has to admit, he rather likes it. He shouldn't be considering it, shouldn't have approached Eren the day before, but damn, he doesn't really want to go back.

  “Are you asking me on a date?” Levi has to clear his throat because his voice is cracking again.

  “Obviously,” Eren says cockily and smiles that huge grin again. “I made lunch, and I thought we could walk to the sculpture park. There are good places to sit where we won't get wet.”

  “You’re into older guys or something?” Levi asks, and he feels guilty right after he says it. There’s far too much sarcasm, he sounds like he’s grilling Eren and throwing the invitation back in his face.

  “Never before, but you’re hot, I like talking to you, and that was sweet of you yesterday,” Eren explains still smiling like Levi didn't make the quip. “I’d like to return the favor.”

  The kid is amazing. Levi was just a complete dick, felt terrible immediately, and it’s like Eren just knew. Knew that sounding like a grade A jerk doesn't mean Levi is one. Eren saw right through his usual brand of bullshit and isn't running away like so many others.

  As nice as that all is, Levi thinks maybe he should ask Eren how old he is before he agrees, but something stops him. Nothing will make him sound more like a dull old man than asking that. It’s not like Eren asked him to bed, it’s not as if having lunch with Eren is illegal. It’s only lunch, a _lunch_ date. They’re going to eat and talk, and Levi’s going to get swept up in those eyes and the little smiles like the one Eren is giving him now, but that’s _it_.

  He can ask him later, casually, _very casually._

  “Honestly, they said it was going to rain today, and I thought you might not be in the park, so I got this crazy idea last night, and I made you a salad and everything because I wanted to see you again. It’s organic, and it doesn't have bacon or any of the other unhealthy shit on it. I bought oil and red wine vinegar too.” Eren looks determined, maybe his smile falters for a millisecond as he rubs the back of his neck before he’s going on again. “It would make me super happy if you said yes.”

  How can he say no to that? Eren was sweet enough to think of the grouch in the park who not only critiqued his tea making skills but demolished them. It’s not Eren’s fault either. Levi is the one who approached him, not the other way around. Sure, the kid’s been watching him and smiling at him all spring, but Levi could have left it well enough alone. He’s the one who opened the damn door. Maybe Eren walked up to it, but the kid had barely finished knocking yet.

  “Yeah, I’ll have lunch with you.” Levi knows he looks and sounds completely unimpressed and bored, he only hopes Eren doesn't see through it, because if he does, then Levi is in a lot of trouble.

  The smile he gets is so completely worth saying yes, and he just wishes Eren was a little bit older, maybe old enough to legally have a drink. He could work with that, wouldn't feel like he might end up unintentionally taking advantage of him or something.

  The fact that Eren looks like it’s fucking Christmas morning; like he’s going to jump on Levi and squeal while he hugs him doesn't make this any easier either.

  On their walk to the park, Levi tries to think of ways to ask Eren how old he is without sounding like a total disaster, without coming off as old and terribly boring and stiff. He keeps getting distracted though. Gets thrown off track when Eren starts talking to him about new movies coming out that summer, things Levi wouldn't usually care too much about, but now he suddenly feels like he needs to know more about Star-Lord and thinks maybe he should watch Guardians of the Galaxy so he can talk to Eren about it.

  It’s been a long time since Levi paid attention to things like this. His shitty teenage years didn't give him much time for games and movies, and the last time he cared about nerd stuff was when he was Eren’s age and was obsessed with Sandman comic books. Maybe he’s just getting wrapped up in other less fascinating things, stopped living a little. It would be worth living again just to see the smile on Eren’s face if they could have conversations together that were less one-sided.

  He’s in a park with a guy half his age or pretty damn close and even with the grumpy appraiser that he’s become, he has a terrible time keeping a smile off of his own face. He has a hard time not taking Eren’s hand every time it brushes against his. He knows Eren’s doing it on purpose no matter how nonchalant he’s trying to be about it. It’s cute as hell, but Levi’s not taking the bait just yet.

  “What about here?” Eren asks as he points to a giant metal hand coming out of the ground. “We won't get wet under there.”

  “Looks like a good enough of a spot.”

  Levi’s about to eat lunch sitting on the ground, protected from the elements by a huge silver sculpture. It looks like it could fall and smash them to bits, and Levi doesn't usually do things like sit on grass or concrete, but he doesn't care. Doesn't care that his suit pants are going to be scraping against rough ground, doesn't care that he’s got that stupid crazy twinge in his chest again.

  He actually likes it, likes it almost as much as looking next to him and seeing Eren just watching him, looking content as hell.

  There’s no tea because there wasn't a little coffee cart to stop at, but Eren’s got bottles of water, and the kid wasn't lying, he really did make salads.

  Taking food from a practical stranger is certainly something Levi would usually be averse to doing, but that familiar feeling of apprehension doesn't come. Especially not when Eren opens the top of one of the containers and passes it to him. It’s all vegetables, and Christ, Eren cut everything up all nice, set everything around over the top of the greens like some kind of artist.

  It’s obvious Eren took a lot of time to do this, and when Levi looks at him to say thank you he smiles, and the smile he gets in return is so warm and hopeful, and it makes Levi’s chest go all funny again.

  Eren’s sweet as sugar; looks like he really hopes this is impressing Levi, who is going all gooey and melty looking at him.

  “Damn, I wasn't expecting this,” Levi says, gets too warm when Eren looks at him and chews his lip.

  “I Googled salad and found a lot of really complicated recipes, so I bought every vegetable I could think of on the way home last night,” Eren says, passes Levi dressing, “and this too. You didn't seem like a ranch kind of guy.”

  “I’m definitely not.”

  They're talking about salad again, and Levi doesn't feel like it’s completely lame like the day before. Eren put an awful lot of thought into this, went to the store when he didn't know if Levi would even agree to the date or not. He’s going to have to give the kid some points for tenacity.

  They end up chit-chatting about everything under the sun while they eat. Levi knows that Eren graduated early, which is great, but it still doesn't tell him for certain how old he is. He stops himself on three separate occasions from asking because Eren is telling him about celestial events coming up in the summer, and then how he feels just a tiny bit guilty for bringing bottled water instead of using reusable bottles. It’s apparently not good for the wildlife, and Levi didn't know that. He thought he was doing his part by putting them in his recycling bin.

  This is a better conversation than he’s had on a date in over a decade, maybe ever, or maybe he’s wrong, but it feels that way right now in the park with Eren, eating salad together with little cherry tomatoes arranged over the top all perfect. He’s asking Eren questions about everything, and Levi generally hates talking this much, usually can't find the right words to express himself, but he can do this when it’s with Eren.

  It all comes flying out when they talk, and he doesn't even have to think. The only other thing that occupies Levi’s mind is that nagging urge to just kiss the kid, and maybe his pounding heart and how to get it slow down, but even that isn't terrible. 

  When they’re done eating they end up right next to each other, leaning up against the wrist of that big stupid hand, watching as the rain starts to fall. Eren’s trying to count the raindrops as they hit the ground, but he can’t keep up when it starts to come down harder, and the sidewalk begins to get covered in bigger splotches.

  Levi only watches, doesn't realize how close he’s gotten to Eren while looking at that winsome smile on his face when he realizes it’s raining too hard to count anymore.

  Eren’s leaning in a little bit closer too, everything inching nearer, not close enough to be touching, but almost. They sit there quiet, stealing glances like they’ve been doing for months. Levi feels like maybe he should say something to break the fragile silence, but it’s not uncomfortable, only seems like expectancies are wrapped up in it. Things like whispered admissions, words of endearment, nearly innocent touches that would confirm the feelings between them. They’re sitting there on Levi’s tongue waiting for him to spit them out, settling into his arms, but he can’t get the courage up to do anything but watch Eren.

  Eren shifts over more, and when he feels it, Levi looks down between them. Eren’s wrapped a couple fingers around Levi’s pinky and ring finger. Levi looks back up, meets bright green, hopeful eyes.

  “Is this alright?” Eren asks. He sounds different now, so tentative, almost scared, the confidence falling away some. Levi can see the fear of rejection, and he isn't enjoying the way it looks on Eren.

  Levi doesn't pull his hand away, but there’s that ridiculous tiny nagging voice that he’s really beginning to loathe in the back of his head telling him he should.

  “How old are you, Eren?” Levi has to ask. He didn’t plan to make the question a big thing, but he has to know because he _likes_ Eren’s fingers wrapped around his, wants to shake them off and take his hand properly.

  Levi watches Eren swallow slow, avert his eyes, gulp again before he’s answering him. “I turned eighteen a month ago."

  Levi feels relieved, and yet there’s a part that isn't. Eren’s an adult legally, but barely. Not that he’s ever given much of a shit about the ‘legality’ of things, but Eren’s still… so damn young. Young and beautiful and intelligent, and being around him makes Levi feel like he could do anything.

  “At least you're not underage.” Levi doesn't think about it, just says it. This could be one of the stupidest mistakes he’s ever made.

  “So you would consider going on more dates with me?” Eren whispers, and fuck, he looks so open and optimistic and sweet.

  He should say no, should have said no about letting Eren hold his hand, but the list of reasons why he should give in is so much longer than the list of reasons why he shouldn't. There’s no legitimate objection he can think of other than the age difference, and Levi isn't sure how good of an objection that is. It’s not like Eren is immature or childish, it’s not as if he doesn't enjoy talking to him, and he makes Levi think about things he completely forgot about being interested in. He makes him smile practically every moment he’s with him, which is a feat in itself because there aren't many things in the world that can make Levi lose control of his expression like that.

  “We can, but this is going to move slow. We can go on some dates, see how it works. And we’re not jumping right in bed or any of that shit.” He sounds so fucking ancient and responsible, and he hates it. “I’m not going to be that guy, the one who takes advantage and corrupts the cute young man.”

  “You think I’m cute?” Eren asks as he smirks, looks so relieved and just happy. Not only happy, but he actually looks ecstatic.

  “Do you think I’d eat salad under a giant aluminum hand in the rain with a guy who wasn't?”

  Eren laughs, and Levi wants to kiss him, kind of wants to erase all the adult-like crap he just said. He can't do it though. He doesn't want to be the stereotype, the older man with the hot young boyfriend or girlfriend using each other for the shallow mutual benefit, and he doesn't want to push. If and when they kiss it’s going to happen because Eren initiates it. If Levi tries it first, he’ll never be certain if Eren really wanted it or not.

  Levi’s had cheap dates, one night stands, and his share of crappy relationships. Levi’s even done the relationship of convenience when he was a bit older than Eren. There wasn’t any love, and it sucked, and he’s not going to be that to Eren. He actually gave up on it all until now, and he’s not going to fuck this kid up. Eren’s way too precious for that, and Levi isn’t that kind of asshole either.

  “So we probably need to get going,” Eren says, lays his cheek against his knees that he’s got pulled up in front of him and just looks at Levi. “We’re going to get drenched.”

  Eren’s fingers are still wrapped around his, and Levi tightens them around Eren’s a little. He doesn’t want to leave the park, could curse polite society for making lunch hours only an hour, but talks himself out of asking Eren on a date for that very night.

  It would be impulsive, and if Levi starts getting impulsive, he’s going to lose his head to this too soon.

  “I have an umbrella,” Levi says, leans his head down so he’s eye level with Eren, because fuck, he can’t stop looking into those eyes that get more beautiful every time he sees them.

  The umbrella isn’t one of those huge ones that can fit a few people under it, it’s small, made for one person, but it makes it all the better. Eren has to squish right up next to him, shoulder to shoulder – or as close to shoulder to shoulder as they can be given Levi’s short stature.

  They’re sort of bumping into one another, trying to walk at the same pace, and Levi thinks it’s hilarious, then gets so stupidly sentimental when Eren takes his hand and finds a way to better match his speed. He can feel Eren grinning down at him when he steps in a puddle and bumps Eren in the head with the umbrella because the kid is so much taller than him.

  Eren doesn’t even care, doesn’t get mad, and Levi feels Eren’s other hand brush against his as he takes the handle.

  “Why don’t you let me?” Eren asks, tightens his hand around Levi’s and rubs his thumb across his fingers.

  Levi couldn’t say no if he wanted to. He’s never been so happy walking through the rain, never would have imagined he would be next to this kid who’s close to six foot, holding his umbrella carefully for him as if he wouldn’t dare let one tiny drop of rain hit him.

  If the circumstances were only a little bit different, he would toss that umbrella away and kiss him right there under the rain. He’d not return to work, take Eren home with him, kiss him everywhere, cuddle him for hours, but it isn’t, and he’s going to be an annoying old gentleman about it.

  Eren walks him all the way to his building, all the way into the lobby, doesn’t make sure he makes it to wherever it is he’s going to first, so he doesn’t have to walk back through the deluge of rain that’s slamming against the pavement. And Levi doesn’t understand how Eren can even be real.

  “I’m glad you came with me,” Eren says, and for once he looks like the eighteen-year-old that he is. His cheeks are red, and he’s glancing down at shuffling feet. “Thanks.”

  “Thanks for having more balls than me.”

  Eren’s face is going redder, and Levi needs to learn to control the stupid shit he says when he’s around Eren because the dumbest things are starting to slip out.

  “Maybe you’d like to do something next time when we’d have more than an hour?” Eren asks.

  Levi doesn’t understand what in the world Eren sees in him, but the kid is persistent, and Levi can’t keep letting him set up all the dates.

  “The tea shop?” Levi wants to smack himself when he says it. He should have suggested a movie, or dinner, anything other than the tea shop. He must sound like he’s seventy-five instead of thirty-five.

  “So you can introduce me to the good shit you were telling me about?” Eren looks way too excited about tea for an eighteen-year-old, but none of it seems fake.

  “Yeah, if that’s not too elderly or dull.”

  “No, it sounds nice, really nice,” Eren admits. “I don’t care what we do, I just want to spend more time with you.”

  There’s definitely no way this kid is for real. Levi’s got to be dreaming a really long dream, and he’s going to wake up and never have had lunch with Eren, and he’s going to go back to just being that cute guy in the park who makes shitty tea who Levi’s never spoken to.

  “Friday? Or are you busy?”

  “Friday’s good.”

  They work out the details through the smiles and blushes, and Levi actually feels like he wants to giggle or maybe pinch himself and test if he’s still asleep. He’s hesitant for a barely a moment, but exchanges phone numbers with Eren, gets his address and sets their date for seven o’clock.

  When Levi walks to the door, Eren tries to give him the umbrella back, but it’s raining cats and dogs, and the kid has to walk to one of the buildings around there.

  “Take it with you, or you’ll get soaked,” Levi says, and maybe there’s just the tiniest bit of an ulterior motive.

  “I’ll give it back to you tomorrow.”

  Eren doesn’t try to kiss him, but he looks like he wants to, and Levi knows himself well enough to know he looks the exact same way. Instead, Eren takes Levi’s hand, holds it, and runs his thumb back and forth across his knuckles.

  When Eren finally lets go and leaves, Levi feels like tomorrow is too far away, and he’s entirely sure his heart never slammed in his chest for anyone like this before.


	3. Of Dinosaurs and Sailboats

  Levi’s been eating lunch with Eren almost every day for a month, and Friday dates have become a thing. Though this is the first week it was sort of just assumed, neither of them asking, only figured they’d see each other that evening when they parted earlier in the day before Eren had called out, “I’ll pick you up at seven.”

  He doesn't know what Eren has in mind, they’ve sort of slipped out of planning things lately. Instead, they meet at the park and wander around talking, or sit and eat lunch. Sometimes they go to the sculpture park and sit under the hand because it’s special now, and a few times Eren has convinced Levi to partake in an entirely unhealthy hot dog from the cart, and they stroll around with no particular destination ahead of them.

  They walk and hold hands, sneak looks, and sometimes when they sit down, they lean on one another and Levi encloses Eren’s hand with both of his own when he rests it on his lap. It always makes Levi’s skin tingle, makes him shiver down his neck because Eren always moves so close he can feel his breath against his ear.

  Today reminds Levi of the day when Eren first came to his work and asked him on a date. It’s pouring, and thundering, and the wind is blowing hard. Levi's actually worried it might ruin their evening. He’s been looking out the window for half an hour, pacing for the last ten minutes, because, fuck, it’s a quarter after seven and Eren is late.

  He’s resisted the urge to go downstairs. Eren was going to take an Uber, so he doesn't know what kind of car he’s looking for anyway, and what if he’s in the elevator when Eren arrives and the guy behind the desk rings his apartment, and Eren gets stuck standing awkwardly in the lobby while Levi doesn't answer?

  This is stupid, really, monumentally stupid, he’s acting like a kid, acting like he’s younger than Eren’s age, and wonders if perhaps this boy has his shit together more than him. It’s bad enough he’s jacked off almost every day with Eren’s name on his lips like he’s a teenager again, but now he’s getting so anxious waiting for Eren that he can't bear to stand still.

  He can't stay is his apartment any longer though, he’s going crawl out of his skin, and his heart is hammering unpleasantly in a semi-panic, and indeed, he can't see what’s going on down on the street through his fucking window in a storm anyway.

  Holy fuck, he’s going downstairs, he’s going to wait in the lobby and check his phone every thirty seconds, and why in the hell hasn't Eren _texted_ him to tell him he’s running late, so Levi doesn't have a heart attack?

  He can't even stay still in the elevator. When he tries, his foot starts tapping, and his hands twist around his phone while he peeks down at it, looks for a message without actually unlocking it and properly checking.

  When he makes it down to the lobby, he tries to look cool, walks as relaxed as he can to the doors, is sure that the guy at the desk is looking at him funny. It looks like a monsoon outside from street level too, and there’s barely any traffic. The anxiety is rising because no one told him the weather was going to turn into Armageddon and Eren is probably out there.  

  He paces like a tiger in a cage, and the asshole behind the desk is definitely looking at him curiously now. There’s no relief, his hands are sweaty, and his discomfort only rises for a good ten minutes until he notices _something._ Is sure his heart is going to fly out of his chest when he sees the figure moving through the tempest, feels his fingers grip his phone harder as they come closer.

  It’s only when they make it halfway across the street that he can see it’s Eren, and the wave of relief that crashes over him nearly knocks him back, off his feet. He almost slams into the door of his building before he’s stepping inside, looks like he might as well have taken a shower in his fucking clothes.

  There’s a twinge of guilt when their eyes meet because Levi was flipping out, and poor Eren looks like someone dunked him in a puddle then threw him back up on the sidewalk, looks worried and regretful too, and Levi wants to erase that from his face.

  “What happened to you?”

  Eren’s cheeks are bright red when he throws his hood back then leans forward, hands braced against his thighs, and sucks in as much oxygen as it looks like his lungs can stand.

  “Th- the driver dropped me off seven blocks away.” His voice sounds completely destroyed, and Levi moves forward, runs fingers shakily through dripping bangs before Eren continues. “The streets are flooding, and I tried to argue with him, but he was a dick. I dropped my fucking phone too. I think I broke it.”

  Eren looks miserable, and it makes Levi’s heart hurt.

  “Come upstairs,” Levi says. He really wants to hold him and warm him up, but that’s not going to work, so he takes Eren’s hand, and admires the adorably shocked look on his face.

  Levi’s never had Eren in his apartment before, and he’s never been inside Eren’s. He wasn't so sure when he was going to let him up, didn't want to give the wrong impression, didn't want Eren to think he was trying to get into his pants. Not that he doesn't _want_ to get in them, but they haven't even kissed yet, and under other circumstances, it might imply Levi plans to get him naked and into his bed.

  Eren’s soaked to the bone though, and Levi's cursing the fates because he really has no choice except to get Eren half naked if only to let him dry off and warm up. There’s a storm, not a little rain shower and some wind, but a _storm_ that’s making roads flood enough that Eren barely got there and he can't send Eren back out in that, and he can't force him to sit around in freezing wet clothes either.

  He kind of feels like this is payback for being so ridiculous about how he’s been handling their relationship, sort of treating Eren like he’s some fragile little breakable thing, forcing Eren to make all the first moves. Levi _wants_ Eren, adores the relationship that’s forming between them, and Eren deserves to be shown that with more than just words. Levi hasn't been the least bit fair to Eren, and if he respects him enough to be seeing him, then he needs to recognize that Eren will actually tell him if he crosses a line.

  Levi feels like such a fucking moron, and that’s making it really hard to talk. He’s got all of half a minute before they reach his door, and he needs to find his fucking balls by the time they get in there, so he isn't making his cute little boyfriend stand around in nasty, cold, wet pants.

  His heart has gone up in his chest again by the time he opens the door, which is also stupid because Eren is probably feeling more out-of-sorts than him, and he doesn't even have dry clothes on.

  “I guess we’re not going to be able to go anywhere tonight,” Eren says shakily. It’s a statement, but Levi can hear the uncertainty in Eren’s voice, and he can’t help thinking his own ineptitude has played a part in erasing that usual confident cockiness from him.

  “I think we’ve waited long enough for an evening in.”

  The way Eren’s eyes light up makes Levi’s mouth go a little dry, but he’s swallowing hard watching those crystalline eyes look at him so devoted and maybe a little relieved. He’s been holding back on Eren way more than he ever should have, wants to kick himself for being so stubborn about the whole thing.

  “Um…” Levi can't quite find the words, but Eren is standing there shivering and dripping, and Levi knows he isn't going to just start getting undressed. Eren’s so sweet that he’d probably stand there all night and be grateful Levi let him come inside.

  And Jesus fuck, Levi needs to say it because Eren is just standing there waiting.

  “You should get those wet clothes off.” Levi wants to help, wants to kneel down and start untying his laces, pull that soaking hoodie over Eren’s head. Only he’s not sure he’d be able to stop, and he’s already half hard thinking about how much he’d like to strip Eren all the way down.

  Instead, he busies himself by turning up the gas in the fireplace, so Eren doesn’t freeze to death, fumbles around for a minute and tries really hard to get his heart rate down.   

  Eren looks a little confused, and Levi can’t have that. He concentrates on breathing slowly as he takes the drenched hoodie from Eren, then the rest of the clothing as he pulls the layers off. Almost loses his shit when he turns around, and Eren is standing there shirtless in soaking wet jeans. He runs to the utility room and tosses what he has in the washer. Doesn't look at Eren when he moves to get his socks and shoes because he can hear him unzipping his pants and he’s pleading to any god who might be listening that Eren’s dick isn't in the same state his is in.

  Levi’s about to fall to his knees and start worshipping Eren when he turns around and looks at him. He’s all tan, lean cut muscles, standing there in fucking dinosaur boxer briefs looking at him with those crazy green eyes, soft and warm and bashful, and it has to be the most adorable thing he’s ever seen. A guy with a body that looks like it was built for fucking, in cute underwear, and he’s not looking at Levi with smoldering bedroom eyes that would match the physique, but more like something he’d expect to see on a puppy dog.

  He can't fucking think, and no words are rattling around in his stupid brain because it’s all filled up with affection and want and fondness, and dear god in heaven he has to say _something_ , and he has to find him a shirt that will fit. And Eren’s just looking at him, dick doing pretty much the same as Levi’s and it’s clear he’s not sure what to do, and he’s waiting for Levi to tell him.

  “Why don't you relax, I’m going to see if I have a shirt that will fit you.” If Levi’s voice would ever stop cracking, he’d really appreciate it.

  “Thanks.” Eren smiles, shuffles over toward the couch before Levi throws the rest of Eren’s clothes in the washer and goes to his bedroom.

  He rifles through drawers. Makes a mess of their contents, which is entirely out-of-character for him, but he has to have _something_. It’s not like he’s built like a twig, and he may be short, but he’s got broad shoulders, and on more than one occasion he’s bought a t-shirt that fit across his chest and back but was way too long. He searches the closet, finally finds a blue one that should work for Eren and goes back out to hand it to him.

  Eren takes it, pulls it over his head, and suddenly Levi feels incredibly over-dressed. Realizes Eren probably feels even more uncomfortable because he’s sitting on the couch in Levi’s shirt and a pair of snug little boxer briefs covered in tiny dinosaurs and Levi is in his suit pants and a button-down.

  “This is terribly weird,” Levi says as he sits down next to Eren. “I’m sorry.”

  “It could be a lot worse,” Eren shrugs, blushes, and takes Levi’s hand. It’s painfully reassuring. “There’s definitely a lot worse things than being stuck at my boyfriend’s apartment in my underwear.”

  “True.”

  Eren’s eyes are all sparkly again, and that sweet smile is back, and Levi looks fondly at him, suddenly feels about ten degrees warmer, almost can’t stop himself from kissing Eren right then.

  “Let’s check the weather,” Levi says, tries to distract himself from where his thoughts are going.

  If they’re going to be trapped there for a while, Levi is getting comfortable too. He’s not going to let Eren sit around in his underwear while he hangs out in his stuffy office clothes. It would be strange, and the entire situation is already strange enough.

  When they turn on the television, it’s all doom and gloom and warnings running along the bottom of the screen. There’s something from the North converging with a system from the South, and some bullshit from the West worked its way in there too. Trees are down, roads are flooding and closed off, and basically trying to get anywhere is a cluster-fuck sent straight down from a vengeful god. It’s going to storm into the next day, they’re lucky they have power, and Levi will be damned if he’s sending Eren back out in that mess.

  “It looks like you’re stuck.” Levi doesn't think Eren’s upset with the development, but he doesn't know for sure.

  “I’d be lying if I said I was disappointed.” Eren squeezes his hand, traces fingertips across his palm. It's not so much suggestive, but tender and that look he’s giving Levi is delving; an expression Levi imagines Eren would make if they were laying in bed holding each other with their foreheads pressed together.

  “And I’d be lying if I told you I didn't feel like an idiot sitting with you wearing my suit.”

  “It’s making me feel a little underdressed, to be honest,” Eren laughs, looks down at himself and swallows slowly before he glances back up at Levi.

  “Give me a minute.”

  Levi wants to kiss Eren right now before he goes to change, just a tiny little peck on his cheek. It _feels_ exactly like what he _should_ be doing right now. Particularly with the way Eren is watching him with that blush riding all the way down his neck. Instead, he runs fingers through his hair, walks shakily to his bedroom, feels like he’s about to crack in half because his head is going in two entirely different directions.

  He doesn't know how the hell he’s going to get through the night with Eren trapped there in his apartment. Worries about where they're going to sleep because truthfully, he wants to put Eren in his bed and wrap himself around him. Even if they were wearing clothes and didn't do anything else, being tangled up with Eren and waking up to his face in the morning would be enough to satisfy him for now.

  There’s an overwhelming urge to press his face into his hands, and he tries to calm the trembling. All he’s going to do is change his clothes, it’s not that _hard_ , and Eren’s just sitting out there waiting.

  He straightens his shoulders, takes a deep breath, and moves to the drawers he’s already messed up. There’s no way he’s just going to walk out in his underwear, it’s too presumptuous or something. Instead, he strips all the way down, puts on a light pair of pajama pants. It seems almost equal in a way. Eren’s got boxers and a t-shirt, Levi’s got pajama pants. They don't have anything nearly as cool on them as dinosaurs, they’re covered in little sailboats, and dorky as fuck, so yeah, he’s definitely evened out the embarrassment or discomfort equally between them.

  He feels like a complete loser as he walks back out in his sailboat pants, but Eren looks fucking elated when he sees him; like he’s totally relieved and comfortable. Levi definitely doesn't miss how his eyes sweep up and down over his torso, the way he bites his lip before it slips from between his teeth when he smiles harder.

  “Fuck Levi,” Eren whispers, looks stunned. “I figured you looked magnificent under there…but damn.”

  If Eren keeps saying things like that, Levi's going to be hard for him in about two seconds. He needs to think of a _distraction_.

  “Did you eat?” Levi asks.

  “No, I was going to take you out.”

  “I’ll make dinner then.”

  If Levi’s going to end up completely losing his resolve and they're going to do something more than holding hands and leaning their heads against each other and looking into one another’s eyes and being just fucking amazed, then Levi is going to do this right. If Eren doesn't want it to go any farther, then Levi is fine with that too, but if he wants more- and the way Eren’s looking at him sure makes it seem like he does- then he’s going to be sweet and maybe sappily romantic and cook for Eren.

  Eren’s up immediately, going to the kitchen to help. They make flatbread pizza, and Eren is so fantastic with a knife that Levi thinks he might have some promise as a chef. It feels like they should kiss every time they bump into each other, and when Eren starts feeding Levi stray pieces of vegetables every now and then, Levi has the urge to maybe just suck Eren’s fingers into his mouth. He’s always sort of had a weakness for being fed, and it seems like Eren is in his head and _knows_. Or maybe it’s the way he’s looking at Eren because Levi can only imagine how pink his own cheeks are and how obvious he fucking looks.

  When they finish eating, they find a movie, but the power goes out twenty minutes in, and it’s dark as hell in the apartment save for the low flames in the fireplace. Dark and quiet, and Levi can barely make out Eren’s features, can hear him breathing just a tiny bit faster though when he leans across him just a little to feel around in the coffee table drawer for candles and a lighter.

  Eren looks breathtaking in the firelight, and Levi is absolutely confident this is some kind of cosmic punishment or test. He knows he’s just staring at Eren, notices Eren’s fingers fiddle a bit with the hem of his shirt before his eyes dart away. He looks so shy and sweet, looks so young as the cockiness drops away again.

  When he looks back at Levi some of the fierceness returns with an endearing little smirk, and he’s wrapping his arm around Levi’s shoulders.

  “Is this okay?” Eren asks like he always does. And it’s funny that Eren is constantly the one checking with Levi and not the other way around.

  “Yeah,” Levi says, lets out the breath he’s holding and presses harder into Eren’s embrace. “You don't have to ask anymore.”

  Levi turns his head toward Eren because he’s serious and he wants to gauge his reaction, suspects there’s going to be that loving smile he’s been seeing a lot more of lately.

  It’s there, so incredibly sweet and Eren’s eyes are glinting, and his hand is coming up to touch Levi’s cheek. He doesn't ask if it’s alright before he leans in and presses his lips lightly to Levi’s. Almost like he’s not sure if he’s allowed to, is waiting to find out if it’s okay. It reminds Levi of dipping a hand in the bath water before getting in to be certain it’s not too hot.

  Of course, it’s more than alright, Levi’s wanted this since before he even spoke to Eren, and it’s so different now. He has to fight with everything inside him not to push Eren back down on the couch and basically ransack his mouth. But that’s an entirely different kind of need, one that’s moving alongside the one that makes his hands come up to gently hold Eren’s face between his fingers, whisper Eren’s name against his mouth before he takes his bottom lip between his teeth.

  Levi feels like maybe Eren’s lips are made of Absinthe or some kind of drug because there’s warmth washing over his face, over the top of his head and down the back of his neck, and he’s falling into a damn fog. Can't think anymore when Eren gets more insistent, and his tongue is sliding across his lips, asking to deepen the kiss.

  Levi blinks his eyes open, runs his thumbs across Eren's cheeks, squeezes his eyes shut tight again because Eren’s lips are painfully soft, and the way he’s carefully beginning to taste his mouth is so fucking tender it makes his heart ache.

  He’s so wrapped up in the affection of those searching kisses; the way Eren’s just licking into his mouth, like Levi’s going to shatter if he goes too fast, that he doesn't think about how Eren’s arms wrap tighter around him.   

  Eren’s cradling him, holding him so tight but so gentle, makes Levi feel protected and worshiped. And who the fuck is this kid that he knows Levi so damn well already? Knows that Levi has always wanted someone to hang onto him like this, pull him closer like they can't get him close enough.

  They’re making out sort of like teenagers, Eren’s fingers scratching at the stubble on the back of Levi’s head like he’s never felt something better. There’s something deeper though, deeper than what this felt like when Levi was younger. Something ponderous and more meaningful than any of the fooling around he did years ago or what he experienced with past lovers.

  It’s like he’s too full, can't contain everything swirling around inside. A never ending assault of emotions that hum under his skin, even more, when Eren nudges him down against the couch until he’s laying on top of him, skims his lips across his jaw and down his throat.

  “I like kissing you,” Eren whispers against his neck, and he’s so fucking _precious_. “I could spend forever kissing you.”

  Levi feels his fingers twist in Eren’s hair, other hand sliding down his back, can barely talk, with how he feels like he’s floating. “Sorry I made you wait so long.”

  “Better this way,” Eren says, pulls back and just looks _into_ Levi.

  Jesus, he feels so exposed under this kid, actually, does every time Eren looks at him like this. What kind of amazing being is Eren to be an eighteen-year-old kid who is actually grateful his older likely more experienced boyfriend waited an entire month to kiss him? He’s incredible, and Levi must be the luckiest man in the world to have found him.

  It makes him feel kind of desperate when Eren just keeps looking, strokes his cheek, and it might be silly for Levi to have expected Eren to be falling to pieces and not him.

  But they both are, and Levi can't actually hold it together. Needs to kiss Eren some more, not only because that gaze on him is so weighty, but because he’s wanted to for so long and hasn't gotten enough yet.

  He can feel more hunger from Eren when their mouths slide together again, not overwhelming, but it’s a little more desperate, quicker, his fingers are digging in a bit more urgently into Levi’s shoulder and the back of his head.

  Levi doesn’t realize what’s happening when he feels Eren’s hips move down against his, doesn’t think as he presses back, feels the ridge of Eren’s hard cock skim down along the crease of his thigh then slide up as he slowly ruts against him.

  They’re definitely doing this, Levi’s not sure how much or how far, but he’s not stopping, and Eren doesn’t seem keen to either. Not with the way he’s biting at Levi’s jaw now, apparently encouraged by Levi grinding back up against him.

  Levi’s only following Eren’s lead. The kid hasn’t tried to touch him anywhere below the waist, but he’s practically growling against Levi’s neck, and Levi can hear his own strangled cries stuttering out, just grips tighter to Eren, feels his heart hammering inside his chest, his whole body winding up tight like a bow.

  Eren swallows up his name as Levi arches up, feels Eren’s hip bone rub up and down the underside of his cock. His legs are fucking trembling around Eren’s hips as they move together, teeth nipping, nails digging in like they aren’t close enough.

  Levi’s going to come in his fucking pajamas with Eren thrusting away on top of him, and he probably hasn’t let that happen in almost two decades, but he doesn’t care. Eren's mouth is on his again, warm and wet and adorably sloppy because he’s about to lose it too. He’s flying, would fly right off the couch if Eren’s body wasn’t on top of his holding him there. Eren’s finger’s dig into his hip and his teeth scrape against Levi’s neck. Levi feels the beginnings of the shuddering, Eren tensing up, and there’s nothing Levi can do to stop himself from falling over that edge with him, clinging to each other like they’re both going to rip apart without the other.

  His lungs are burning from sucking in air even through the aftershocks, and Eren is just holding him while he holds Eren back, feels their hearts pounding against one another’s like it’s a contest, and Levi can’t even think. Can only keep his face pressed in against Eren’s neck, breath him in and try to get more oxygen.

  Levi’s not sure how long they stay like that, cocooned against each other, but he feels Eren’s fingers start to slide through his hair, feels his lips move against his cheek.

  “I didn’t think you’d let me,” Eren confesses, presses his lips softly to the skin under Levi’s ear.

  Levi tucks his face in harder against Eren’s neck, feels a little stupid. “I think I went overboard.”

  “It wasn’t that bad.” 

  He finds some courage, lets his head fall back, and looks at Eren. “No, but it was rather puritanical.”

  “It was cute,” Eren says, it’s breathy, but Levi can hear the beginnings of a laugh.

  “Cute only goes so far,” Levi says. “It was unfair to you, I was treating you like a kid.”

  Eren’s arms go real tight around Levi again, and all he can do is just hug him back, feels Eren whispering against his neck again. “Does this mean I don’t have to sleep on the couch?”

  “Yeah, it means you don’t have to sleep on the couch.”

  Levi kisses Eren’s forehead, wraps his legs around him, just holds him there. Doesn’t care about the storm, or the electricity being out, doesn’t even care about how sticky his pajamas are. All he really cares about right now is the beautiful boy in his arms who sucks at making tea.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm kind of in love lately with Levi being insecure and nervous and just anything but perfect sex-god Levi. I think he's adorable all unsure and falling apart around Eren. 
> 
> So, this is finished (albeit four days late because I got slammed with two terrible colds)... but there is an AU event in July, and if any of it can fit in with this, I may add to it, or any other event that I could use to add a chapter or two. 
> 
> Anyway, thank you so much for the comments and kudos, I can't tell you all how much I appreciate them and knowing people enjoyed my little story. You guys are really awesome! <3 <3 <3


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